Youth Exchange on work opportunities for persons with an art talent or a creative personality

We are The Sliema Local Council in Malta and we we wish to reach out to youth centred organizations coming from a disadvantaged backgrounds such as youths brought up in orphanages, unemployed youngsters, and young single mothers who are in a troubled relationship. We would like to focus our Youth Exchange on work opportunities for persons with an art talent or a creative personality. Art can be expression, imaginative, a form of rebellion, a creative outpour of talent and much more.

Art can also provide a source of income. A work of art can be a stepping stone for a talented young person to possibly pursue a career in which a young person’s art talent is further developed professionally, leading to the acquisition of qualifications and a stable source of income. We wish to encourage young people on the fringes of our society to try their hand at creative expression thus enabling them to make the connection between that artistic creation and the work opportunities which exist within the creative industries such as; graphic design, prop design, video making etc...

Sliema is one of the most intercultural localities in Malta and a location that attracts a lot of foreign residents living in Malta who study or work on the island. Sliema is also one of the most popular shopping destination nationally , and possesses a number of English language schools, a thriving café culture, beach clubs and hotels. But there are other realities in Sliema. An orphanage sits side by side to one of the most upper class streets in Malta which also flanks a historical theatre and a highly frequented youth centre. Migrants work in the many cafes and entertainment outlets. A home for battered women is found close to a prominent hotel, while there are a major number of public and private schools.

The aim of this Youth Exchange is to bridge the divide between the budding artists and professional creatives who have made the leap into an established career on the one hand, and the youth who are still exploring their options or who are disadvantaged youth with little qualifications. Tapping into their creative urges, this Youth Exchange aims at giving a prospect to youth who may not have realised that art is not simply a hobby reserved for free time, but can lead to a successful career in emerging innovative areas of the economy.